Ancient Roman Silver Coin of Emperor Postumus (Founder of the Gallic Empire)

Own a Silver Coin from the Emperor Who Created a Separate Roman Empire in the West — and Chose Not to March on Rome

A real silver-washed bronze antoninianus of Postumus — the general who founded the breakaway Gallic Empire in AD 260, successfully governed France, Britain, Spain, and parts of Germany as a separate Roman state for nearly a decade, and was murdered by his own troops for refusing to let them loot a city they had just captured. NGC certified.

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🏛 From the emperor who founded the Gallic Empire — a breakaway western Roman state with its own Senate, consuls, and Praetorian Guard, governing for nearly a decade
🛡️ Reverse depicts Pax, Fides, Roman deities, or military symbols — the imagery of a ruler who maintained full Roman institutions while governing independently of Rome itself
🤲 Struck AD 260–269 — murdered for showing mercy to a captured city, the most ironic end of the Crisis era. NGC certified.

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

In AD 260, the Roman Empire simultaneously lost its senior emperor to Persian captivity and its western provinces to the ambitions of a military commander named Postumus. When his troops proclaimed him emperor after a dispute involving the emperor's son Saloninus — who was subsequently killed — Postumus faced a choice that most usurpers of the era never paused to consider: march on Rome and fight for the whole empire, or stay and build something sustainable in the west.

He chose to stay. For nearly a decade, Postumus governed the Gallic Empire — encompassing modern France, Britain, Spain, and parts of Germany — as a fully functioning Roman state. He maintained a proper Senate, elected consuls, kept a Praetorian Guard, struck coinage in the Roman tradition, and focused his military energy on what actually mattered to the western provinces: defending the Rhine frontier against relentless Germanic pressure. The population of Gaul and Britain experienced better security and governance under Postumus than they had under Rome's distracted central emperors for years.

Gallienus attempted to reconquer the breakaway territories multiple times and failed each time. Postumus held. His reign ended not in battle against Rome but through the most mundane of Crisis-era mechanisms — his own soldiers killed him in AD 269 because he refused to grant them permission to plunder the city of Mainz after suppressing a rebellion there. He showed restraint and mercy, and they murdered him for it. The Gallic Empire survived him by five more years before Aurelian reabsorbed it in AD 274. This silver-washed antoninianus, struck during Postumus's decade of independent western rule, is a coin from a Roman Empire that most people don't know existed. Certified by NGC.

Perfect for:

• Collectors of Crisis of the Third Century, Gallic Empire, and Roman silver-washed bronze antoniniani
• History lovers drawn to Postumus, the breakaway western empire, and Rome's era of fragmentation
• Radiate crown portrait, independent western Roman state, and NGC certified Crisis-era silver enthusiasts
• Anyone seeking a historically extraordinary piece from a Roman Empire most collectors have never heard of

What You'll Receive

• One authentic silver-washed bronze antoninianus of Postumus
• Denomination: Antoninianus (nominally two denarii — minimal silver content)
• NGC certified for authenticity and preservation
• Struck AD 260–269 — similar to examples shown (each coin is unique)

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• Guaranteed authentic ancient coin
• Carefully sourced and verified
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

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